Hon. Lorne Nystrom (Regina—Qu'Appelle, NDP)

Mr. Speaker, I also want to say a few words to Bill C-19 which is before the House this morning.

We have to take a look at the corrections system and the whole judicial system in Canada to ensure we have tough enough legislation to protect the country, its citizens and victims, yet have a fair balance that would justly punish those who deserve punishment and try to rehabilitate those who can be rehabilitated.

Our party believes that we have to do whatever we can to have safe communities. We believe the safety of communities must be the focus of a criminal justice system. A New Democratic Party government would support safe communities through the following things.

We believe in proportionate sentences. We believe in safe and humane custody for both offenders and correctional workers. We believe in addressing the needs of the victims of crime and in the effective restoration of offenders to the community as productive citizens.

New Democrats reject the approach of the American justice system which has often created a costly gulag that promotes punishment over rehabilitation, often to the disadvantage of the poorest segments of society.

We believe that the sentences pronounced by our courts must reflect Canadians' intolerance for crime, especially violent or hate-based crime, while providing offenders with a fair opportunity to redeem themselves and to contribute to our society.

We value the important role of the correctional system in protecting our communities from dangerous criminals. Some people are simply so violent that they must be isolated from society until such a time as they can be safely reintegrated. We believe that when offenders are released on parole, the public should be assured that they will not reoffend in a violent fashion.

We support the right of correctional workers to safe and healthy working conditions in an often stressful and dangerous working environment. We believe that the correction system should target inmates who abuse the system by terrorizing other inmates and staff and by profiting from the introduction of drugs into our institutions.

We believe that the victims of crime will only achieve healing if they are fairly compensated for the harm they have suffered, if they can overcome the trauma and the fear that they experienced, and can effectively participate in a criminal justice process related to the offenders who have hurt them.

We believe that our correctional system can and should address the real needs of most offenders so when they will return to our community, as the vast majority do, they can live lawful and productive lives.

We believe that the level of infectious diseases in prison is a growing danger to offenders, to staff and to the community. This must be addressed in an urgent and common sense fashion.

We believe that federal prisons should not serve as warehouses for people with mental health problems. Rather, there should be a proactive effort, both in institutions and in the community, to treat pathologies that lead to crime.

We believe that the serious disadvantages suffered by aboriginal offenders, especially aboriginal women, who are under a federal sentence must, at long last, be addressed by more than just pious pronouncements.

We believe, as has been determined by the Canadian Human Rights Commission, that women offenders require specific measures to meet their specific needs, and that Correctional Service Canada should be made accountable for this.

We believe that measures to improve the vocational skills of inmates and to strengthen their family relationships have often proven effective and that these approaches should be encouraged.

We believe that more effective oversight mechanisms are necessary to ensure that our correctional system complies with the rule of law as has been recommended by a host of outside experts in recent years.

We also believe that the ultimate goal of a criminal justice system is to bring all the participants together in order to restore the relationship between offenders and communities.

New Democrats would support safe communities by adopting some of the following measures.

We would provide about $50 million in new funding for initiatives geared to the communities so that they may provide occupational and other community support to released offenders. Communities have the special knowledge and the skills necessary to plan and implement effective community reintegration.

We would commission a judicial inquiry to examine systemic racism in the correctional service and address the obstacles suffered by aboriginal offenders.

We would create a deputy commissioner position for aboriginal offenders within the correctional service. This official would be directly accountable to the commissioner of corrections for all matters related to the custody and reintegration of aboriginal offenders.

We would ensure that the deputy commissioner for women of Correctional Service Canada would possess the authority to ensure that the specific needs of women offenders would be met at an early date.

After a broad but timely consultation, we would legislate a federal victims charter of rights to address the needs and prerogatives of victims.

We would establish rules for the fair compensation of victims of crime that would figure prominently in our negotiations with the provinces on transfer payments and the criminal justice field.

We would provide adequate funding to ensure that victims would be able to attend, observe and make statements at all release hearings for offenders, even where the offenders had been transferred to other regions of the country.

We would create a parliamentary commissioner for victims who would fulfill an ombudsman function for victims and report annually to Parliament.

We would ensure that staffing levels and security systems in institutions were at a level that would ensure safety and security.

We would implement severe consequences for inmates who abused the system by endangering the safety of others and by bringing drugs into institutions.

We would provide special legislation to address the special safety and health needs of corrections staff and to provide timely redress for complaints regarding hazardous institutional situations.

We would legislate an independent inquiry with authority to recommend solutions to Parliament for every case where an offender on parole or other form of release commits a crime involving serious bodily harm or death.

We would provide $50 million for new mental health initiatives in institutions and in the community.

We would provide $20 million for community restorative justice programs in order to permit the reconciliation of offenders and the people with whom they would be living.

We would address infectious diseases and the substance abuse conditions that would lead to these both as a security and health problem, and we would take the harm reduction measures that have been shown to work, for example, increased access to education, peer counselling, relapse programs, safe tattooing and needle exchanges.

We would also make the prisoners' ombudsman, the correctional investigator, an officer of Parliament in the same way the chief electoral officer is an officer of Parliament today and has been for a number of years. As an officer of Parliament, that would enable the correctional investigator to take significant cases in dispute before the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, which would be provided specific legislation to deal with these disputes.

Finally, we would institute a remedy for circumstances where correctional authorities were determined to have “intentionally interfered with the integrity of a sentence”, as recommended by the inquiry into the events at the prison for women, which of course is the Arbour inquiry.

Those are some of the things we would do and we recommend them to the government of the day.

Bill C-19 amends the Corrections and Conditional Release Act and the Criminal Code. It comes out of a subcommittee on justice. It was tabled in the House of Commons in May of 2000. It has taken the government almost four years to respond to the committee on justice.

We have a bill today which really has five objectives. The government wants to tighten up the accelerated parole review process. It wants to streamline the temporary absence process. It wants to review all statutory release cases. It wants to give victims the right to make a statement at a parole board hearing. Finally, it wants to permit the conditional release of all terminally ill offenders on humanitarian grounds before their scheduled parole dates.

As suggested by the justice committee report, the CCRA is in need of reform. Increasing victim participation in the parole process is good because victims are all too often shut out of the criminal justice process entirely. Adding a structured program to temporary absences is excellent as it furthers the goal of rehabilitation through our correctional aims.

In conclusion, my main concern is that this does not begin to address the real problems in our corrections system, the problems that I mentioned earlier, such as infectious diseases, drugs, the abuse, the lack of resources and the facilities that are aimed at not only women but at aboriginal people as well.

We must also be careful not to be overzealous. We must keep in mind that our goal is to build a safer society by rehabilitating offenders and not just locking them up forever and throwing away the key.

That is what I believe the bill falls short on. I recommend to the House the points that I made earlier in my comments.

Hon. John Harvard (Charleswood St. James—Assiniboia, Lib.)

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate one of my constituents, Ms. Marilyn Hurrell, for her outstanding efforts on behalf of the Canadian Executive Service Organization.

Marilyn Hurrell went to Riga, Latvia to train staff and volunteers of a public AIDS prevention centre. Marilyn interviewed staff members and representatives of various NGOs and government agencies either directly or indirectly involved in HIV-AIDS prevention to acquaint herself with prevention activities in Latvia.

She presented a report with her assessment and recommendations based on the WHO Ottawa Charter on Health Promotion to the director of the centre. Marilyn expects that the centre will now concentrate more on vulnerable groups such as prisoners and street children.

Ms. Hurrell, a dedicated, hard-working volunteer, is typical of the Canadian Executive Service Organization. Volunteers such as Ms. Hurrell are truly outstanding Canadians.

Mr. Gerry Ritz (Battlefords—Lloydminster, CPC)

Mr. Speaker, due to factors beyond their control and a predatory banker, Marlin Farms find themselves in jeopardy. This is a deliberate concerted effort to drive my constituents into bankruptcy.

The Toronto Dominion bank attack dogs know nothing about agriculture and the dire straits the industry is in. Their idea of working with Marlin Farms is to take half their line of credit and arbitrarily put it in an overdraft account at 21% interest. To add insult to injury, the remaining $125,000 line of the credit is being lowered by $10,000 a month and added to the 21% overdraft. On top of that, the Toronto Dominion Bank charges Marlin Farms $10,000 in bogus bank charges for lawyers, accountants and consultants.

This nightmare for Marlin Farms has been exacerbated by the finance minister, the Minister of State for Financial Institutions and the Canadian banking ombudsman who all refuse to act.

This legalized loan sharking has to be stopped.

Hon. Scott Brison (Kings—Hants, Lib.)

Mr. Speaker, 2004 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of a great Nova Scotian and Canadian, Joseph Howe.

Joe Howe was a newspaper editor, a publisher, a member of Parliament and a lieutenant governor, but it was his successful defence of himself in an 1835 libel trial for which he is best known, as it established freedom of the press in Canada.

Michael Bawtree, the former director of Acadia University's drama department, has established the Joseph Howe Initiative to mark the 200th anniversary of Howe's birth and has recreated Howe's speech from his trial which he will perform again later this year.

Howe's newspaper, The Nova Scotian , continues to live today as part of The Sunday Herald , a division of The Chronicle-Herald in Halifax. The Herald , the largest independently owned paper in Canada, recently turned a new page when publisher Graham Dennis launched a $26 million printing press, the first of its kind in Canada.

Today I want to congratulate Mr. Dennis for his investment in Nova Scotia and its future, and Mr. Bawtree for reminding us of Joe Howe's important contribution to the province's past and future.

Hon. Larry Bagnell (Yukon, Lib.)

Mr. Speaker, I have the great honour today to congratulate one of my own constituents, Josie Sias, who is, as we speak, being awarded the Order of Canada by the Governor General.

Josie Sias is dedicated to communicating her unique knowledge of the people, history and geography of the Yukon. As a park interpreter, volunteer and businesswoman, this elder of the Kluane First Nation has employed story telling to keep alive the traditions of her ancestors.

Widely respected for her leadership of the Parks Canada Youth Corps, she helped young people from various economic and cultural backgrounds to foster teamwork and mutual understanding. She has also taught anglophone, francophone and aboriginal students about their respective languages and cultures.

In recognition of her outstanding leadership she was appointed to represent her people and her region at the Canadian Polar Commission.

Josie is a much loved and respected pioneer of the north. I provide my heartfelt congratulations for this well-deserved honour.

Mr. Gilbert Barrette (Témiscamingue, Lib.)

Mr. Speaker, I would like to inform the House that the Jutra Awards gala celebrating the best in Quebec cinema will be held this Sunday.

Everyone agrees that this year has been a particularly splendid one for the Quebec film industry. We need only think of the success of Denys Arcand's Les Invasions Barbares—The Barbarian Invasions , which has been praised by the greatest connoisseurs, from Cannes to Hollywood. It is expected that Mr. Arcand's film will deservedly win the Jutra Award for most internationally acclaimed Quebec film.

The list of nominees is a testament to the abundance of artistic talent in Quebec. Luc Picard, Marie-Josée Croze, Raymond Bouchard, Rémy Girard and many others embody the vivacity of Quebec culture.

I invite my fellow members to congratulate the people who create Quebec cinema and let them know how proud we are—

The hon. member for Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough

Mr. Peter MacKay (Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough, CPC)

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to stand in the House and draw attention to the tremendous success in the riding of Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough.

A recent KPMG report compared business costs in 121 North American, European and Asian Pacific cities and ranked Pictou county as first among 39 Canadian cities for doing business.

Such an acknowledgement reflects both the innovation and creativity of the Pictou county business community as well as the successful growth strategy “Opportunities for Prosperity” put forward by the Nova Scotia government.

The success of the Nova Scotia government's growth strategy is also reflected in KPMG's ranking of Truro, Sydney and Halifax as among the best sites in the word for doing business.

We are living in exciting economic times in the province of Nova Scotia, across Canada and around the world. It is a great pleasure to represent Pictou county communities where people are actively engaged in vibrant economic development that enhances all aspects of community life.

To the people and businesses of Pictou county and indeed all Nova Scotians, I extend my congratulations on distinguishing themselves as innovators and leaders in our eastern Canadian economy.

Ms. Paddy Torsney (Burlington, Lib.)

Mr. Speaker, this morning the Governor General will present 44 recipients with their insignia of membership to the Order of Canada.

The right hon. Herbert Gray has been an enduring force in Canadian politics. First elected in 1962, he was re-elected an unprecedented 12 consecutive times. Though retired from politics, he continues to serve this country as the Canadian co-chair of the International Joint Commission.

Mr. Gray's commitment to his family, his faith, his community and this country is well demonstrated.

The Order of Canada recognizes people who have made a difference to our country. It is only fitting that this remarkable man is given such recognition, Canada's highest honour for lifetime achievement.

On behalf of all colleagues, I extend my congratulations to the right hon. Herb Gray, recipient of the Companion of the Order of Canada.

Ms. Monique Guay (Laurentides, BQ)

Mr. Speaker, for many years the month of February has been known as Heart Month.

Despite the fact that medical research has made giant steps over the years, much remains to be done. I invite my hon. colleagues and the general public to contribute generously to the Heart Foundation's fundraising campaigns.

Let us take advantage of this month of awareness to find out about the risks of cardiovascular disease and stroke, and let us learn how to control the risks. Cardiovascular disease is striking at increasingly younger ages and is often tied to obesity and lack of exercise.

We can never overemphasize the importance of taking care of our health and inviting the people around us to do the same. And why not set a good example by taking advantage of the better weather in spring to begin a fitness plan that will help us take care of our hearts?

Hon. André Harvey (Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, Lib.)

Mr. Speaker, I want to say a few words about an announcement we made last week that is extremely positive for Quebec and the rest of Canada with regard to the ethanol expansion program.

Last Friday, February 13, it was a pleasure to announce the recipients and contributions in the first round of the ethanol expansion program, which has a total allocation of $78 million.

Seven projects, including one in Quebec, will receive funding. Commercial Alcohols, Inc. received $18 million in funding for the construction of a fuel ethanol facility in Varennes. Discussions about this facility have been ongoing for many years, and many partners, including Commercial Alcohols, Inc. and the Canadian government, are associated with it.

This commitment by the federal government will enable the company to move forward with its project financing commitments and, it says, begin construction this fall. The Varennes project will involve a total investment of some $105 million and will generate almost 1,000 jobs during construction. The facility will create about 50 permanent jobs at the plant.

Finally—

The hon. member for Skeena.

Mr. Andy Burton (Skeena, CPC)

Mr. Speaker, the offshore oil and gas industry is alive and well around the world, from the North Sea off Europe to the coast of Africa, from Cook Inlet in Alaska to the Gulf of Mexico, and even on the east coast of Canada, but not in British Columbia.

The recently tabled Royal Society of Canada report to the Minister of Natural Resources concludes there are no scientific gaps to be filled before lifting the moratoria on oil and gas development in British Columbia.

However the senior minister for B.C., Canada's environment minister, is currently forging ahead with a plan to create Scott Island marine wildlife area, an area of up to 2.7 million hectares, which would effectively prohibit oil and gas exploration in much of the Queen Charlotte basin, an area of great exploration potential.

The natural resources minister is supportive of the west coast oil and gas possibilities. Clearly the environment minister is not. It is unacceptable for a divided federal cabinet to waffle on an issue as important as offshore oil and gas development is to the future of British Columbia.

Hon. Mark Eyking (Sydney—Victoria, Lib.)

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the worst winter blizzard in decades blasted the Maritime provinces dumping 90 centimetres of snow in 24 hours. This is the third major weather event to hit the area in six months.

Early last fall Hurricane Juan paid an unforgettable visit to the region. Then in January a frigid air mass dropped temperatures to minus 30°. Now, P.E.I. and Nova Scotia are covered with a big blanket. Age old records were broken as the snow fell and strong winds piled huge drifts. Snow plows were called off the roads and both provinces have declared a state of emergency.

The weather gods seem to have their attention focused on eastern Canada. On behalf of all members, I extend our concern and best wishes to the residents of P.E.I. and Nova Scotia and tell them that spring is just around the corner.

Mr. Bill Blaikie (Winnipeg—Transcona, NDP)

Mr. Speaker, the strike at Canadian National Railway has the potential to be an ugly one. The government needs to take an aggressive, hands-on approach to this major national labour dispute.

The reason for this is quite simple. CN top management is now primarily American and cares not what it does to Canadian workers, communities, values or traditions. Replacement workers, or scabs, are not something that was ever contemplated in the context of past rail strikes.

This time CN is actively training scabs, or as in Toronto already, bringing in American workers from Illinois to help break the strike. This is outrageous. If this Liberal government, which privatized CN in the first place, allows this to happen, then the Prime Minister might as well run up the American flag and admit that our largest railway is owned and operated by interests and values that come from somewhere else.

Asking railroaders to accept minimal increases while profits soar and bonuses for management proliferate is unacceptable. I urge the Minister of Labour to use the Canada Labour Code and the full extent of her powers to prevent this attack on Canadian workers from succeeding.

Mr. Roger Gaudet (Berthier--Montcalm, BQ)

Mr. Speaker, on January 4 in my riding of Berthier—Montcalm, the municipality of La Visitation-de-l'Île-Dupas launched the tricentennial celebrations of Île Dupas.

The festivities began with a mass celebrated by Bishop Gérard Drainville, who grew up on the island.

A period ball held on February 14 was a huge success. I invite the public to take part in the various activities that will be held throughout the year.

I want to congratulate the founding families who built this beautiful village on the banks of the St. Lawrence.

I also want to highlight the excellent work of a dynamic team, including the tricentennial committee chair, Victor Drainville, as well as the contributions made by the mayor, Maurice Désy and the entire municipal council.

It was a pleasure to personally take part in this event, and I wish them great success throughout the year.

Mr. Marcel Proulx (Hull—Aylmer, Lib.)

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to acknowledge the opening of the 5th edition of the Montreal High Lights Festival.

Yesterday afternoon, Montrealers embarked upon the 11-day winter festival of Quebec's largest city with a flurry of free activities and top-quality performances.

This celebration of the winter season is much like Winterlude, which we celebrate every year in the national capital region.

Montreal High Lights is offering a variety of activities for the young and the not so young until the end of the month.

This year's program is made up of three festivals in one: wining and dining, performing arts, and the celebration of light.

I wish Montrealers a happy Montreal High Lights Festival.

Miss Deborah Grey (Edmonton North, CPC)

Mr. Speaker, last Saturday I was called at home and asked if I would take part in a survey on Hockey Night in Canada. By the third question, I realized what was going on. I asked, this is not about Hockey Night in Canada, it is all about Don Cherry, is it not? Sheepishly, she said yes.

The questions were veiled by mixing in other names, but every time it circled back to Don. Was he racist, was he sexist, she asked? I told her and I will tell you, Mr. Speaker, I think that is despicable. Such labels are hateful, not simply information gathering.

She also asked what I thought of the seven second delay proposal to be able to blitz any comments by Cherry. I told her and I will tell you, Mr. Speaker, I think that is despicable.

The underlying question is, do we have free speech in this country or do we not? What does CBC stand for--Censorship Broadcasting Corporation? I hope not.

Guess who paid for this slanderous survey? You guessed it, Mr. Speaker, you and I and every other taxpayer in the land. We fund this type of stuff unwittingly and unknowingly. Thanks a billion.

Let Don Cherry speak. Censorship is this: if I do not want to watch him, I do not have to. I can change the channel.

Ms. Diane St-Jacques (Shefford, Lib.)

Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday evening, the red carpet was rolled out on Saint-Denis Street in Montreal to welcome the upper crust of the arts community for the world premiere of the highly anticipated musical Don Juan .

Critics have nothing but praise for this magnificent show. I am especially proud to hear and read comments about the young female lead role of Maria, played by Marie-Ève Janvier, a young artist from Roxton Pond, in my riding.

The very talented Marie-Ève, who has worked tirelessly, what with flamenco lessons and fencing lessons, is on her way to becoming a new entertainment star.

With more than 200,000 copies of the album sold and Don Juan nominated for a Juno Award last week, Marie-Ève, whose opening night performance won her rave reviews, must feel like all her sacrifices have paid off.

Congratulations and I wish the entire cast the success they deserve.

Mr. Rob Merrifield (Yellowhead, CPC)

Mr. Speaker, almost five years ago, Oakville teenager Vanessa Young died of heart failure after taking a prescription medication.

The inquest into Vanessa's death recommended mandatory reporting by health professionals of all serious adverse drug reactions to Health Canada within 48 hours. Health Canada has not acted on that recommendation.

Less than 10% of all adverse reactions are reported each year. Studies suggest that up to 10,000 Canadians die each year due to adverse reactions like Vanessa's. We do not really know how many are dying because reporting is voluntary and so very few events are actually being reported.

My private member's motion, to be debated today, calls on the government to consider making it mandatory for health professionals to report all serious adverse drug reactions.

This House has an opportunity to make an important statement on a matter which affects children, adults and the elderly. The problem is only going to get worse unless we act now.